Call Pickup with Seemail

ABSTRACT

Various embodiments provide real-time translation of a voicemail into a readable format as the voicemail is being recorded. In some cases, a system server records the voicemail by first answering a call from an originating device that goes unanswered by a destination device. Upon answering the call, the system server translates the recording, while it is being recorded, into a readable format. Alternately or additionally, the system server forwards portions of the readable format to the destination device. In turn, as the destination device receives portion(s) of the real-time translation, it can display the associated content, and/or update what is displayed as new portions are received. At times, the destination device provides additional call control that interrupts the voicemail while it is being recorded at the system server, and redirects the call to the destination device if the originating device is still connected.

BACKGROUND

Answering machines local to a telephone can be used to record incomingcalls that are left unanswered by a user. Sometimes the answeringmachine is connected between the telephone and a wall plug into atelecommunication system, while in other cases, the answering machine isintegrated into a same device as the telephone. When an incoming callgoes unanswered by the user, the answering machine answers the call, andgives the caller an opportunity to leave an audio recording. In the casewhere the answering machine includes a speaker, the audio can be playedreal-time through the speaker while it is being left by the caller (andrecorded by the answering machine). This allows the user to listen tothe message in real-time, and potentially intercept the call from theanswering machine before the caller hangs up. As an alternative to ananswering machine local to the telephone, some telecommunication systemsprovide a voicemail system using entities remote from the telephone.These remote entities manage redirecting unanswered calls to a capturemechanism, and maintain the recordings for user access. Due to itsremote nature, a voicemail recording is typically inaccessible by theuser until the recording has completed. Thus, a user not only loses theability to hear a message as it is being left in real-time, butadditionally loses the ability to intercept and/or answer the callduring capture of the real-time message.

SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter.

Various embodiments provide real-time translation of a voicemail into areadable format as the voicemail is being recorded. In some cases, asystem server records the voicemail by first answering a call from anoriginating device that goes unanswered by a destination device. Uponanswering the call, the system server translates the recording, while itis being recorded, into a readable format. Alternately or additionally,the system server forwards portions of the readable format to thedestination device. In turn, as the destination device receivesportion(s) of the real-time translation, it can display the associatedcontent, and/or update what is displayed as new portions are received.At times, the destination device provides additional call control thatinterrupts the voicemail while it is being recorded at the systemserver, and redirects the call to the destination device if theoriginating device is still connected.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description references the accompanying figures. In thefigures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies thefigure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the samereference numbers in different instances in the description and thefigures may indicate similar or identical items.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment in an example implementationthat is operable to perform the various embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example implementation in accordancewith one or more embodiments.

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an example bounce diagram in accordancewith one or more embodiments.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an example implementation in accordancewith one or more embodiments.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an example bounce diagram in accordancewith one or more embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a method in accordancewith one or more embodiments.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram that describes steps in a method in accordancewith one or more embodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates various components of an example device that can beimplemented as any type of computing device as described herein.

FIG. 9 illustrates various components of an example device that can beimplemented as any type of computing device as described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Overview

Various embodiments provide real-time translation of a voicemail into areadable format as the voicemail is being recorded. When a callinitiated by an originating device to a destination device goesunanswered at the destination device, some embodiments answer the callat a system server. In some cases, the system server is configured torecord an audio message received via the originating device. As theaudio message is being recorded, the system server translates the audiointo a readable format in real-time. As portions of the recording aretranslated, some embodiments forward the translated portions to thedestination device, such as through an Internet Protocol (IP) connectionor through Short Message Service (SMS) messages. The destination devicereceives the real-time translation and presents it to the user,sometimes updating what is presented as new portions of the real-timetranslation are received. Some embodiments provide an ability for thedestination device to interrupt the voicemail while it is being recordedat the system server (with the origination device still connected to thecall), and redirect the call to the destination device.

In the following discussion, an example environment is first describedthat may employ the techniques described herein. Example procedures arethen described which may be performed in the example environment as wellas other environments. Consequently, performance of the exampleprocedures is not limited to the example environment and the exampleenvironment is not limited to performance of the example procedures.

Example Environment

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a communication system 100 which,in at least some embodiments, can be implemented over a communicationnetwork, represented here by communication cloud 102. Here,communication cloud 102 is used to generally represent any suitable typeand/or combination of communication system(s), such as a packet-basedInternet network, a cellular network, a computer network, and so forth.Among other things, communication cloud 102 represents plurality ofinterconnected elements configured to communicate data with other suchelements, such as over the Internet by transmitting and receiving datain the form of Internet Protocol (IP) packets, transmitting andreceiving data over cellular communication channels, etc. The elementsshown in FIG. 1 include a system server 104, originating call device106, and destination call device 108 that are interconnected with oneanother through communication cloud 102. It will of course beappreciated that many more elements make up the associated communicationsystem than those explicitly shown. System server 104, originating calldevice 106, and/or destination call device 108 can communicate with oneanother, as well as other entities, by way of the communication cloudusing any suitable techniques.

In at least some instances, in order for originating and destinationcall devices to communicate with another, a client executing on theoriginating call device acquires the IP address of the destination calldevice on which another client is installed. This can be done using anaddress look-up or any suitable technique.

Some Internet-based communication systems are managed by an operator, inthat they rely on one or more centralized, operator-run servers foraddress look-up (not shown). In that case, when one client is tocommunicate with another, then the initiating client contacts acentralized server run by the system operator to obtain the destinationdevice's IP address. Other approaches can be utilized. For example, insome server-based systems, call requests are received by the server andmedia is relayed by the server. In this instance, there is not anend-to-end connection between the clients, but rather a server inbetween for the communication that takes place.

In some cellular-based communication systems, the communication systemis a wireless network distributed over land areas (i.e. cells), eachserved by a base station. When joined together, these cells provide acommunication network that enables an originating device that interfaceswith the cellular system to communicate with another device anywhere inthe network via a base station.

In a public switched telephone network (PSTN), the communication systemrepresents an aggregation of multiple circuit-switched telephonenetworks interconnected by switching centers and/or exchanges. The PSTNcan include any combination and/or interconnection of systems, such ascellular networks, communication satellites, fixed line systems, etc.

System server 104 represents functionality that provides voicemailservices to a device, such as destination call device 108. For example,destination call device 108 can be a subscriber to a communicationsystem that utilizes system server 104 to implement voice messagingcapabilities. Here, system server 104 includes call processing module110, message management module 112, and translation module 114. Whilesystem server 104 is illustrated here as a single computing device, itis to be appreciated that this is merely for discussion purposes, andthat in some embodiments, system server 104 includes multiple computingdevices.

Call processing module 110 represents functionality that manages atleast some call processing functionality associated with a subscriber tocommunication system 100. At times, call processing module 110 helpsroute call connections between originating call device 106 anddestination call device 108. Alternately or additionally, callprocessing module 110 identifies when originating call device 106initiates a call to destination call device 108, and can further discernwhen the initiated call is left unanswered at destination call device108. In the case of an unanswered call, call processing module 110 canroute the connection with originating call device 106 back to systemserver 104 for messaging services, such as those provided by messagemanagement module 112. Call processing module 110 can also route theconnection with originating call device 106 back to destination calldevice 108 when the destination call device sends an indication toaccept the unanswered call after it has been routed back to systemserver 104, as further described below.

Message management module 112 provides, among other things, voicemailcapabilities to a subscriber. When a call to the subscriber is leftunanswered, message management module 112 records an audio message fromthe calling device (such as originating call device 106), and furtherprovides the subscriber with access to any audio messages stored for thesubscriber. Message management module 112 can also be configured toprovide portions of the audio message, as it is being recorded, totranslation module 114. In some embodiments, message management module112 stops recording an audio message from a calling device, as it isbeing left, while still maintaining a connection with the callingdevice. The connection with the calling device can then be transferredto the destination device, as further described below.

Translation module 114 provides audio-to-text translation of inputaudio, such as portion(s) of audio recordings managed by messagemanagement module 112. While translation module 114 is illustrated hereas being a separate module as message management module 112, it is to beappreciated that this is merely for discussion purposes, and thattranslation module 114 can alternately be included within messagemanagement module 112 without departing from the scope of the claimedsubject matter. The audio-to-text translations provided by translationmodule 114 can then be routed to the subscriber, sometimes as theassociated audio message is still being recorded by message managementmodule 112 and/or a connection with the calling device is still engaged.Routing the translated messages can be achieved in any suitable manner,such as over an Internet Protocol (IP) based connection, an SMSconnection, and so forth.

Originating call device 106 represents a device with callingcapabilities. Here, originating call device 106 establishes a connectionto destination call device 108 via communication cloud 102. Alternatelyor additionally, originating call device 106 can receive incoming calls.In some cases, the connection between originating call device 106 anddestination call device 108 is an indirect connection which usesadditional entities, such as system server 104. In other casesoriginating call device 106 and destination call device 108 have adirect connection between one another. While originating call device 106is illustrated here as a wireless mobile device, it is to be appreciatedthat any suitable type of calling device can be used without departingfrom the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Destination call device 108 generally represents a subscriber deviceassociated with communication system 100 and/or system server 104. As inthe case of originating call device 106, destination call device 108includes calling capabilities, such as initiating and/or receivingcalls, and is the intended recipient of a call from originating calldevice 106. While destination call device 108 is illustrated as awireless mobile device, it is to be appreciated that destination calldevice 108 can be any suitable type of device without departing from thescope of the claimed subject matter. Among other things, destinationcall device 108 includes voicemail user interface module 116 andvoicemail control module 118.

Voicemail user interface module 116 represents functionality thatenables a user to interface with voicemail service(s) provided by acommunication system. For example, in some cases, voicemail userinterface module 116 displays a user interface on a display deviceassociated with destination call device 108. The displayed userinterface can include selectable control(s) that provide a user withaccess to voicemail functionality, such as selecting a voicemail,initiating audio playback of a voicemail, pausing audio playback of avoicemail, deleting a voicemail, and so forth. The selectable control(s)can be activated in any suitable manner, such as through a touch screeninterface, keyboard entries, soft-key selections, a mouse click,touchpad selection, and so forth. Alternately or additionally, voicemailuser interface module 116 can be configured to simply receive keyboardentries (without display of an associated selectable control) as a wayto interface with voicemail services. At times, voicemail user interfacemodule 116 displays text translations of a voicemail, such as thoseprovided by translation module 114. The display of text translations canoccur automatically, in real-time as the text translations are received,or the text translations can be stored and displayed via voicemail userinterface module 116 at a later point in time when a user makes aselection to display them. When voicemail user interface module 116 isdisplaying text translations in real-time (i.e. while the associatedvoice message is being recorded and/or the originating call device hasnot terminated the call), some embodiments provide the user with anability (via a selectable control or otherwise) to interrupt therecording and transfer the call to the destination call device, asfurther described below.

Voicemail control module 118 represents functionality that interfaceswith voicemail user interface module 116 and various functionalityprovided by system server 104, such as call processing module 110,message management module 112, and/or translation module 114. Forexample, consider an example of voicemail user interface module 116displaying a selectable control associated with voicemail playback. Whena user activates the voicemail playback control, some embodiments routean indication of the activation to voicemail control module 118. Inturn, voicemail control module 118 interacts and/or manages interactionswith system server 104 using the appropriate protocols, such as byinitiating the appropriate message(s) to system server 104 over awireless connection. In another example, voicemail user interface module116 displays a selectable control associated with redirecting acommunication connection from an active voicemail recording state atsystem server(s) 104 to an active call state with destination calldevice 108. When this control is activated, the user interface modulesends an indication to voicemail control module 118 which, in turn,manages the interactions with system server(s) 104 to interrupt theactive recording and/or redirect the connection to an active call state.Thus, among other things, voicemail control module 118 generallycontains the appropriate logic to control and/or manage variousvoicemail features.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example system 200 generally showing centralcomputing device(s) 202. The central computing device may be local tothe multiple devices or may be located remotely from the multipledevices. In one embodiment, the central computing device is a “cloud”server farm, which comprises one or more server computers that areconnected to the multiple devices through a network or the Internet orother means.

In one embodiment, this interconnection architecture enablesfunctionality to be delivered across multiple devices to provide acommon and seamless experience to the user of the multiple devices. Eachof the multiple devices may have different physical requirements andcapabilities, and the central computing device uses a platform to enablethe delivery of an experience to the device that is both tailored to thedevice and yet common to all devices. In one embodiment, a “class” oftarget device is created and experiences are tailored to the genericclass of devices. A class of device may be defined by physical featuresor usage or other common characteristics of the devices. For example, aspreviously described, destination call device 108 may be configured in avariety of different ways, such as for mobile 204, computer 206, andtelevision 208 uses. Each of these configurations has a generallycorresponding screen size and thus destination call device 108 may beconfigured as one of these device classes in this example system 200.For instance, destination call device 108 may assume the mobile 204class of device which includes mobile telephones, music players, gamedevices, and so on. Destination call device 108 may also assume acomputer 206 class of device that includes personal computers, laptopcomputers, netbooks, tablet computers, and so on. The television 208configuration includes configurations of device that involve display ina casual environment, e.g., televisions, set-top boxes, game consoles,and so on. Thus, the techniques described herein may be supported bythese various configurations of the end-user terminal 104 x and are notlimited to the specific examples described in the following sections.

In some embodiments, central processing device(s) 202 include “cloud”functionality. Here, cloud 210 is illustrated as including a platform212 for call processing module 110, message management module 112, andtranslation module 114. The platform 212 abstracts underlyingfunctionality of hardware (e.g., servers) and software resources of thecloud 210 and thus may act as a “cloud operating system.” For example,the platform 212 may abstract resources to connect end-user terminal 104x with other computing devices. The platform 212 may also serve toabstract scaling of resources to provide a corresponding level of scaleto encountered demand for the services that are implemented via theplatform 212. A variety of other examples are also contemplated, such asload balancing of servers in a server farm, protection against maliciousparties (e.g., spam, viruses, and other malware), and so on. Thus, thecloud 210 is included as a part of the strategy that pertains tosoftware and hardware resources that are made available to the end-userterminal 104 x via the Internet or other networks.

Alternately or additionally, central computing device(s) 202 includecall processing module 110, message management module 112, and/ortranslation module 114 as described above and below. In someembodiments, platform 212 and these modules can reside on a same set ofservers, while in other embodiments they reside on separate servers.Here call processing module 110, message management module 112, andtranslation module 114 are illustrated as utilizing functionalityprovided by cloud 210 for interconnectivity with destination call device108.

Generally, any of the functions described herein can be implementedusing software, firmware, hardware (e.g., fixed logic circuitry), manualprocessing, or a combination of these implementations. The terms“module,” “functionality,” and “logic” as used herein generallyrepresent software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. In thecase of a software implementation, the module, functionality, or logicrepresents program code that performs specified tasks when executed onor by a processor (e.g., CPU or CPUs). The program code can be stored inone or more computer readable memory devices. The features describedbelow are platform-independent, meaning that the techniques may beimplemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having avariety of processors.

Having described example operating environments in which variousembodiments can be utilized, consider now a discussion of voicemailpickup in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Voicemail Translation and Call Pickup

Some communication system providers offer a subscriber voicemail as aservice to record and playback messages left when a call goesunanswered. To provide this service, a centrally located device in thecommunication system monitors when a subscriber device receives anincoming call. If a call goes unanswered, the connection with theoriginating call device can be transferred from the subscriber device toa messaging center (remote from the subscriber device). Servicesprovided by the messaging center can be integrated on the centrallylocated device, or on a separate device. The messaging center captures afinite audio recording in real-time from a user at the originating calldevice, and stores it for later access by the subscriber. However, whenthe call connection has been transferred from the subscriber device tothe messaging center, the subscriber device no longer has direct accessto the originating device in order to hear the message as it is beingleft in real-time.

Various embodiments provide real-time translation of a voicemail into areadable format as the voicemail is being recorded. To furtherillustrate, consider FIG. 3 which represents interactions betweenvarious devices in accordance with one or more embodiments. In thisexample, FIG. 3 generally captures exchanges between an originating calldevice (such as originating call device 106 of FIG. 1), a system server(such as system server 104 of FIG. 1), and a destination call device(such as destination call device 108 of FIG. 1). It is to be appreciatedthat, while not explicitly illustrated, various protocols andhand-shakings between these exchanges can be used to achieve theseexchanges without departing from the scope of the claimed subjectmatter. Each vertical line is used to illustrate the actions of theassociated entity over time.

To begin, an originating call device initiates a call to a destinationcall device in step 302. The originating call device can be any suitabletype of device, such as a wireless mobile phone, a personal computer(PC) with Voice-over-Internet Protocol (IP) capabilities, and so forth.As discussed above, initiating the call can include various types ofprotocols and/or handshaking between the originating call device andvarious entities of the communication system it uses. This is generallysignified through the use of a connecting dot at the system server line.As part of initiating a call, an initial connection is establishedbetween the originating call device and the destination call device.This can be facilitated by the system server and/or by other entities ofthe communication system. Here, the initial connection is used to notifythe destination call device of the incoming call.

Upon the initial connection being established, the destination calldevice receives the initiated call and notifies the user in step 304.The user can be notified in any suitable manner, such as through anaudible alert (i.e. one or more telephone rings), vibrating thedestination call device, displaying a notification on an associatedscreen, etc. As in the case above, the destination call device can beany suitable type of device capable of sending and receiving calls.

At some point in time after the destination call device has beennotified of the incoming call, the system server determines in step 306that the call has gone unanswered. This can be determined in anysuitable manner, such as through a timer and/or timeout mechanism. Insome cases, the system server contacts and/or queries the destinationcall device to determine if the call is unanswered, such as by queryingfor a call state, querying for a call connection, and so forth.Alternately or additionally, the system server contacts and/or queriesthe originating call device to determine if the call is unanswered.These interactions are generally illustrated here as a two-way dashedline between the system server and the originating call device, and atwo-way dashed line between the system server and the destination calldevice. Thus, multiple messages can be sent back and forth in order forthe system server to determine when a call has gone unanswered. The callmanagement process can be implemented, at least in part, using a callprocessing module, such as call processing module 110 of FIG. 1.

Responsive to determining that the call has gone unanswered at thedestination call device, the system server transfers the connection withoriginating call device to a messaging center at step 308. Here, themessaging center is illustrated as being part of the system server. Forsimplicity sake, the terms messaging center and system server can beconsidered interchangeable in this discussion. However, the messagingcenter can be a separate entity from the system server without departingfrom the scope of the claimed subject matter. To transfer theconnection, the system server can send and/or receive messages, queries,commands, and so forth with the originating call device, as well as thedestination call device. As in the case above, these interactions aregenerally illustrated as a two-way dashed line between the system serverand the destination call device, and a two-way dashed line between thesystem server and the originating call device. Any suitable number ofmessages, handshakes, protocol procedures, and so forth can be utilized.As in the case above, some embodiments the transfer the connectionthrough the use of a call processing module, such as call processingmodule 110 of FIG. 1.

Once the connection has been transferred to the messaging center, a userof the originating call device leaves an audio recording at themessaging center in step 310. In some embodiments, the ability for theoriginating call device to leave a voicemail is managed at the messagingcenter and/or the system server through the use of a voicemailmanagement module, such as message management module 112 of FIG. 1. Thelength of the recording for the voicemail can be any arbitrary length oftime. In some embodiments, while the user of the originating call deviceis actively leaving an audio message and/or the audio message isactively being recorded, the messaging center translates portions of theaudio recording into text representation(s) in real-time, illustratedhere as step 312. As each portion is translated, the respective texttranslation is sent to the destination call with the device. While FIG.3 illustrates three translation sends (through the use of threedirectional arrows into destination call device), it is to beappreciated that this is merely for discussion purposes, and that anysuitable number of translations can be sent without departing from thescope of the claimed subject matter. Further, any suitable type ofconnection can be used between the system server and the destinationcall device to transfer the text translations. For example, consider acase where the destination device is connected to the system server overan IP channel. In such a case, the translations can be sent over the IPchannel. In other cases, when an IP connection does not exist betweenthe destination call device and the system server, some embodiments usean SMS based approach, as further described below. In step 314, thedestination call device receives the text translation(s).

To further illustrate, consider FIG. 4, which contains three timelines:an audio recording timeline, a translation module timeline, and adestination device timeline. The audio recording timeline represents anaudio capture in progress, such as an audio message being left, via anoriginating call device, as part of a voicemail system. The translationmodule timeline represents a sequence of events performed by atranslation module, such as translation module 114 of FIG. 1. Thedestination device timeline represents a sequence of events as performedby a destination device, such as destination call device 108 of FIG. 1.Among other things, the ordering of these timelines is used toillustrate the relative order of execution of these actions to oneanother in time. These timelines are not intended to convey precisetiming information, but rather the relative positioning between thesequences.

Here, audio 402 is divided into partitions 404 a-d. While theillustration simply contains four partitions, it is to be appreciatedthat this is merely for discussion purposes, and that any suitablenumber of partitions can be generated. In this example, the partitionsare illustrated as being uniform in length, but other implementationscan utilize partitions of varying length from one another and/orpartitions whose lengths dynamically change based upon the contentcontained within the associated audio. Partition 404 a represents thefirst recorded portion of the audio 402, with partition 404 b being thesecond recorded portion, partition 404 c being the third recordedportion, and so forth.

The translation module first receives partition 404 a as an input onwhich to perform a translation. In some embodiments, the translationmodule receives partition 404 a as it is being recorded in real-time.Alternately or additionally, partition 404 a is recorded in its entiretyand then sent to the translation module. Upon receiving partition 404 a,the translation module generates translation 406 a. Any suitable type oftranslation can occur, such as an audio-to-text translation. In someembodiments, the generation of translation 406 a can occur at the sametime as additional related audio is being captured. In this example,translation 406 a is being generated while partition 404 b is beingcaptured, translation 406 b is being generated while partition 404 c isbeing captured, and so forth. Similarly, translation 406 a is sent todestination device before the translation module receives partition 404b. In this manner, the translation can be considered “real-time”, inthat the translation for the corresponding audio input is generated andsent to the recipient before the next audio input is received. Thus,receive 408 a corresponds to the destination device receiving (and/orthe translation module sending) translation 406 a before translation 406b begins.

Now consider FIG. 5, which is an example continuation of theinteractions between the originating call device, system server, anddestination call device of FIG. 3. Recall that in FIG. 3, after the callwent unanswered at the destination call device, the originating calldevice began leaving an audio recording in step 310. As the originatingcall device leaves the audio recording, the system server translates theaudio into text, and periodically sends the translations to thedestination call device, which were generally represented as step 312and step 314 in FIG. 3. Here, steps 312 and 314 have been furtherpartitioned into steps 312 a and 312 b, and 314 a and 314 brespectively, to reflect the iterative process described with respect toFIG. 4. While FIG. 5 simply illustrates two partitions for these steps,it is to be appreciated that any suitable number of partitions and/orsteps can be utilized in this example without departing from the scopeof the claimed subject matter. Thus, in step 312 a, the system servertranslates the first partition of audio, and in step 314 a, thedestination call device receives the first translation associated withthe audio recording been left by the originating call device. Similarly,in step 312 b, the system server translates the second portion of audio,while the destination call device receives the second translation instep 314 b.

In some embodiments, a destination call device displays textualtranslations of an audio recording in progress. For example, in step502, the destination call device displays the translation received instep 314 a. Any suitable type of display mechanism can be utilized. Attimes, the destination call device can have a user interface associatedwith one or more voicemail services that displays the text translationsas they are being received in steps 314 a and 314 b. Alternately oradditionally, the user interface can include selectable controls thatallow the user to direct functionality associated with voicemail. Theselectable controls can be fixed controls that that are always displayedon the user interface, or can be dynamic controls that come and go onthe user interface depending on what functionality is being accessed,depending on what state the voicemail is in, etc. Consider the aboveexample where audio translations are being received at the destinationcall device while the originating call device is still actively leavingthe associated audio recording. Some embodiments display a selectablecontrol that allows a user of the destination call device to interruptthe active audio recording, and redirect the call connection to thedestination call device (e.g. pick up the call), such as through the useof voicemail user interface module 116 and/or voicemail control module118 of FIG. 1.

In step 504, the destination call device receives a call pickup input.This can be achieved in any suitable manner. In some cases, the input isreceived responsive to a user activating the selectable controldisplayed on the user interface, as further described above. Alternatelyor additionally, the input is received responsive to the user entering akeyboard command. In turn, the destination call device sends a callpickup request to the system server in step 506, thus allowing a user toread a text translation of a voice message as it is actively being left,and interrupt the recording by inputting one or more commands to thedestination call device to answer and/or redirect the call beingrecorded.

Upon receiving the call pickup request, the system server transfers thecall connection from voicemail to the destination call device in step508. This can be achieved in any suitable manner, such as through theuse of call processing module 110 and/or voicemail control module 118 ofFIG. 1. Here, the system server is generally illustrated as havingtwo-way connections with both the originating call device and thedestination call device to signify that some embodiments employ varioustypes of protocols and/or hand-shakings between the system server, theoriginating call device, and/or the destination call device to transferthe connection from the voicemail. For instance, in some embodiments,when the destination call device receives textual translations of anactive audio recording in progress, the system server can additionallysend an address and/or telephone number to the destination call devicethat is associated with the system server, as further described below.In other embodiments, the system server can send the destination calldevice a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) as an address to use when a dataconnection is present between the system server and the destination calldevice. To initiate a call pickup from voicemail, the destination calldevice may initiate a connection to the address and/or telephone number,such as by placing a call to the telephone number, or initiatingHyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) messaging to the URL. Upon receivinga call and/or connection to the designated address and/telephone number,the system server replaces the originating call device connection withthe messaging center with a connection to the destination call device.This is generally illustrated at steps 510 a and 510 b, where theoriginating call device connects with the destination call device, andvice versa.

Sending real-time translations of an audio recording to a destinationcall device gives the receiving user an opportunity to not onlydetermine what the purpose of an associated call is, but additionallyconnect with the caller leaving the audio recording while they are stillactively engaged with the call. Oftentimes the caller may beinaccessible once a voicemail has been left and the caller hasterminated the connection. Providing real-time text translations to therecipient user improves the likelihood of the caller and the recipientto connect more efficiently.

Having described voicemail pickup in accordance with one or moreembodiments, consider now a discussion of utilizing SMS services toprovide the real-time translations.

Using SMS Services for Real-Time Voicemail Translations

Sometimes a user device can include multiple modes of connectivity. Forexample, a smartphone can have a connection into a cellular network, aswell as a connection into the Internet over wireless local area network(i.e. Wi-Fi, WLAN, etc.). One advantage to an Internet connection is therelative ease of communication the smartphone can use to communicatelarge volumes of data with other devices over WiFi, WLAN, etc.Similarly, as part of a cellular network, some providers offer cellulardata connections that are configured to transfer data efficiently. Whenthese connections are readily available, the system sever can use thesedata channels to send text translations to the destination call device.However, when these modes of data transfer are unavailable orunsupported, an SMS connection can be used instead.

Among other things, SMS is a text messaging service that allows devicesto exchange short text messages between one another. Some embodimentsutilize the SMS messaging service to send audio text translations to adestination call device. Consider the previous example where a call froman originating call device goes unanswered at the destination calldevice. When the originating call device is connected to a voicemailservice at the system server, the system server can first determinewhether a dedicated data connection exists (i.e. IP channel, cellulardata connection, etc.) to the destination call device. For instance, thesystem server can check to see if the destination call device hasregistered for audio translation services and/or whether theregistration information indicates the availability of a dataconnection. Alternately or additionally, the system server can test tosee if a data connection is valid by issuing a “ping” over theconnection. If it is determined that a dedicated data connection doesnot exist, SMS messaging can be used instead to push the texttranslations down to the destination call device. In order to supportvoicemail call pickup via SMS messaging, some embodiments forward apickup voicemail callback number to the destination call device.

In some embodiments, the system server manages a pool of numbersassociated with a voicemail call pickup service, as further describedbelow. When the system server decides to communicate text translationsvia SMS messaging, an unused number from the pool of numbers can beselected and assigned to the destination call device as a pickupvoicemail callback number. For the purposes of this discussion, theselected number from the pool will be referred to as “N1”. To maintainthe association between N1 and the destination call device, the systemserver creates metadata information that describes the association. Insome cases, the metadata includes additional information related to thevoicemail in progress. Any suitable type of information can be stored,such as user ID information, voicemail duration, originating calladdressing information, destination call an addressing information, callstate information, and so forth. Once an association has been created,the server can forward N1 to the destination call device, and beginsending audio-to-text translations from an audio recording.

Some embodiments encode the SMS text message with information toindicate to the destination call device what type of content the SMStext message contains. By tagging the SMS text message, the systemserver can utilize an existing SMS infrastructure in a new manner. Thetags allow the destination call device to identify the SMS text messageas a voicemail message service SMS text message instead of a “routine”SMS text message, and subsequently redirect the SMS text messages from astandard SMS text message application to a voicemail message serviceapplication, such as voicemail user interface module 116 and/orvoicemail control module 118 of FIG. 1. For instance, the first SMS textmessage associated with audio-to-text translation of a voicemail messagecan include a message type and/or code that indicates “start of call”that notifies the destination call device of an incoming audio recordingtranslation. Alternately or additionally, the first message can includeN1, which the destination call device identifies as an assigned pickupvoicemail callback number. Upon identifying a “start of call”, thedestination call device displays a particular user interface directedtowards voicemail management and/or display of the translated audio.

During the real-time translation of an audio recording, some embodimentsuse a message type of “intermediate transcription” for subsequent SMStext messages. This message type can be used to indicate the associatedtranslation is part of an ongoing transcription. In addition to amessage type, some embodiments additionally include a tag to againidentify the SMS text message as being associated with a voicemailtranscription. Any suitable number of “intermediate transcription”messages can be received by the destination call device. Upon completionof the audio transcription, some embodiments send an SMS text message tothe destination call device that includes a message type of “call ended”to indicate the recording has completed and the originating call deviceconnection has ended.

Consider FIG. 6, which is a flow diagram that describes steps in amethod in accordance with one or more embodiments. The method can beimplemented in connection with any suitable hardware, software, firmwareor combination thereof. In at least some embodiments, aspects of themethod can be implemented by a suitably configured software module, suchcall processing module 110, message management module 112, andtranslation module 114 of FIG. 1.

Step 602 determines a call is connected to voicemail, such as a callfrom an originating device that has gone unanswered at a destinationcall device. In some embodiments, a system server determines that a callfrom the originating call device is connected to voicemail by querying acall state at the originating call device and/or querying a call statethe destination call device, as further described above. In some cases,the system server manages transferring the connection with theoriginating call device from the destination call device to a voicemailservice.

Step 604 determines to communicate audio-to-text translations to thedestination call device via SMS text messaging. In some cases, thesystem server analyzes registration information to determine whether thedestination call device has a dedicated data connection. If thedestination call device does not have a dedicated data connection, SMStext messaging can be used instead.

Responsive to determining to communicate via SMS text messaging, step606 selects a pickup voicemail callback number from a pool of numbers asfurther described above and below. Step 608 creates an associationbetween the pickup voicemail callback number and the destination calldevice and, such as through the use of metadata. Alternately oradditionally, information related to the originating call device and/orvoicemail state information can be included in the association.

Step 610 sends the destination call device an SMS text messageassociated with the start of the audio-to-text translations. As furtherdescribed above, the SMS text message can sometimes include the pickupvoicemail callback number, as well as a message type and/or a tag toindicate the start of a voicemail translation.

Step 612 sends the destination call device audio-to-text translationsvia one or more SMS text messages. Some embodiments tag the SMS textmessages as being associated with a voicemail service and/or include amessage type indicating the contents of the SMS text messages areintermediary content. Any suitable number of intermediary messages canbe transmitted.

At the conclusion of a voicemail recording, as well as the audio-to-textto translations, step 614 sends the destination call device a final SMStext message associated with the end of the audio-to-text translations.At times, the final SMS text message includes a tag and/or a messageindicating the end of a call. In some cases, the final SMS text messagealso includes the final audio-to-text translation of the associatedaudio recording, while in other cases, the control message and thetranslation information are sent separately. Upon the voicemailtranslation completing, the system server removes the associationbetween N1 and the destination call device.

Thus, SMS text messaging can be used as an alternative data transfermechanism when forwarding audio-to-text translations. Control messagesand tags can be included in the SMS text messages as indicators to thedestination call device that the incoming messages are associated withvoicemail. This allows the system server to use an existing messaginginfrastructure without modifications. Once it has received N1 as apickup voicemail callback number, the destination call device caninterrupt the audio recording by placing a call to N1 at any pointduring the translation process. By using N1 as a pickup voicemailcallback number, the destination call device can also use existinginfrastructure (with help from the system server) to intercept the callas it is currently in a voicemail state.

To further illustrate, consider FIG. 7, which is a flow diagram thatdescribes steps in a method in accordance with one or more embodiments.The method can be implemented in connection with any suitable hardware,software, firmware or combination thereof. In at least some embodiments,aspects of the method can be implemented by a suitably configuredsoftware module, such as call processing module 110, message managementmodule 112, and translation module 114 of FIG. 1.

Step 702 receives an incoming call from a device. Here, the devicerepresents a destination call device that has missed answering a callfrom an originating call device. In an effort to pick up the call as itis being left in voicemail, the incoming call from the device isdirected to a number previously given to the device by the systemserver, such as N1 described above. However, at this point, the incomingcall is treated generically (i.e. it is not treated as being associatedwith voicemail). Responsive to receiving the incoming call, step 704routes the incoming call to a call processor.

Step 706 determines whether a call associated with the incoming call isin a pool of numbers associated with voicemail. For instance, the systemserver first identifies the incoming call as being directed towards N1,and then determines whether N1 is in a pool of numbers associated withvoicemail. If the number associated with the incoming call is notlocated in the pool of numbers, step 708 routes the call as anon-voicemail call. In other words, the call is treated in a standardcall processing manner to connect the associated end parties. However,if the number associated with the incoming call is located in the poolof numbers, the incoming call is processed as a voicemail related call,as further described below.

Step 710 determines whether an association exists between the number anda caller of the incoming call (e.g. the device and/or the destinationcall device). This can be achieved in any suitable manner, such as byanalyzing metadata. If no association exists, step 712 responds to theincoming call as a terminated call. For example, an association may nolonger exist because the originating call device has completed recordingan audio message, and terminated the connection. In this case, thedevice of the incoming call cannot intercept the voicemail, and therequest to intercept the call (via a call to the number) is denied.However, if an association exists, the system server can proceed toconnect the two end parties.

Step 714 retrieves data for the number (i.e. N1) and an associatedvoicemail call, such as information identifying the originating calldevice leaving the voicemail call. Step 716 updates the data withinformation associated with caller information identified in step 710(i.e. the destination call device information). Once the datainformation has been updated, step 718 connects the caller of theincoming call with a caller associated with the voicemail (i.e. theoriginating call device). Thus, a destination call device can intercepta voicemail message being left by an originating call device using apickup voicemail callback number.

Having considered using SMS text messaging to notify a destination calldevice of an active voicemail in progress, consider now a discussion ofexample devices in accordance with one or more embodiments.

Example System and Device

FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate various components of example devices 800 and900 that can be implemented as any type of computing device as describedwith reference to FIGS. 1-7 to implement embodiments of the techniquesdescribed herein. Device 800 is illustrative of an example system serverdevice, such as system server 104 of FIG. 1, while device 900 isillustrative of a destination call device, such as destination calldevice 108 of FIG. 1. For the sake of brevity, these devices will bedescribed together where applicable. Components designated as 8XX areassociated with device 800, while components designated as 9XX areassociated with device 900.

Device 800/900 includes communication devices 802/902 that enable wiredand/or wireless communication of device data 804/904 (e.g., receiveddata, data that is being received, data scheduled for broadcast, datapackets of the data, etc.). The device data 804/904 or other devicecontent can include configuration settings of the device, media contentstored on the device, and/or information associated with a user of thedevice. Media content stored on device 800/900 can include any type ofaudio, video, and/or image data. Device 800/900 includes one or moredata inputs 806/906 via which any type of data, media content, and/orinputs can be received, such as user-selectable inputs, messages, music,television media content, recorded video content, and any other type ofaudio, video, and/or image data received from any content and/or datasource.

Device 800/900 also includes communication interfaces 808/908 that canbe implemented as any one or more of a serial and/or parallel interface,a wireless interface, any type of network interface, a modem, and as anyother type of communication interface. The communication interfaces808/908 provide a connection and/or communication links between device800/900 and a communication network by which other electronic,computing, and communication devices communicate data with device800/900.

Device 800/900 includes one or more processors 810/910 (e.g., any ofmicroprocessors, controllers, and the like) which process variouscomputer-executable instructions to control the operation of device800/900 and to implement embodiments of the techniques described herein.Alternatively or in addition, device 800/900 can be implemented with anyone or combination of hardware, firmware, or fixed logic circuitry thatis implemented in connection with processing and control circuits whichare generally identified at 812/912. Although not shown, device 800/900can include a system bus or data transfer system that couples thevarious components within the device. A system bus can include any oneor combination of different bus structures, such as a memory bus ormemory controller, a peripheral bus, a universal serial bus, and/or aprocessor or local bus that utilizes any of a variety of busarchitectures.

Device 800/900 also includes computer-readable media 814/914, such asone or more memory components, examples of which include random accessmemory (RAM), non-volatile memory (e.g., any one or more of a read-onlymemory (ROM), flash memory, EPROM, EEPROM, etc.), and a disk storagedevice. A disk storage device may be implemented as any type of magneticor optical storage device, such as a hard disk drive, a recordableand/or rewriteable compact disc (CD), any type of a digital versatiledisc (DVD), and the like. Device 800/900 can also include a mass storagemedia device 816/916.

Computer-readable media 814/914 provides data storage mechanisms tostore the device data 804/904, as well as various device applications818/918 and any other types of information and/or data related tooperational aspects of device 800/900. The device applications 818/918can include a device manager (e.g., a control application, softwareapplication, signal processing and control module, code that is nativeto a particular device, a hardware abstraction layer for a particulardevice, etc.), and operating system, and so forth. The deviceapplications 818/918 also include any system components or modules toimplement embodiments of the techniques described herein.

Device applications 818 include call processing module 820, messagemanagement module 822, and translation module 824, while deviceapplications 918 include voicemail user interface module 920 andvoicemail control module 922. These modules are shown as softwaremodules and/or computer applications. Alternatively or in addition,these modules can be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, or anycombination thereof.

Call processing module 820 is representative of software that providesan ability to manage call processing functionality associated withtransferring connections between calling devices, receiving devices,and/or voicemail services. Message management module 822 isrepresentative of software that provides an ability to record and accessvoicemail messages. Translation module 824 is representative of softwarethat provides an ability to translate audio recordings in to textualrepresentations.

Voicemail user interface module 920 is representative of software thatis coupled to voicemail control module 922 that provides a user accessto direct voicemail functionality via voicemail control module.Voicemail control module 922 is representative of software that managesprotocols and/or handshaking into device 800 to access voicemailservices.

Example Implementations

Example implementations described herein include, but are not limitedto, one or any combination of one or more of the following example:

A device for communicating text translations of an audio recording overa Short Message Service (SMS) connection, the device comprising: atleast one processor; and one or more computer-readable storage memorydevices comprising processor executable instructions which, responsiveto execution by the at least one processor, are configured to enable thedevice to perform operations comprising: determining whether aconnection associated with an originating call device initiating a callto a destination call device is connected to voicemail; determining tocommunicate the text translations associated with the audio recording,being left in voicemail via the originating call device, to thedestination call device via SMS text messaging; selecting a pickupvoicemail callback number from a pool of numbers; creating anassociation between the pickup voicemail callback number and thedestination call device; sending the destination call device a first SMStext message indicating a start to the text translations, the first SMStext message comprising the pickup voicemail callback number; andsending the destination call device one or more additional texttranslations via one or more additional SMS text messages in real-timerelative to the audio recording, each SMS text message of the one ormore additional SMS text messages comprising at least one texttranslation of the text translations.

A device as recited above, wherein the first SMS text message includes amessage type configured to indicate a start of call.

A device as recited above further configured to perform operationscomprising: sending a final SMS text message that includes a messagetype configured to indicate a call ended when the audio recording hascompleted.

A device as recited above further configured to perform operationscomprising: creating the association between the pickup callback numberand the destination call device by creating metadata that includes thepickup callback number and information associated with the destinationcall device.

A device as recited above, wherein the metadata further comprisesinformation associated with the originating call device.

A device as recited above further configured to perform operationscomprising: receiving, from the destination device, an incoming calldirected to the pickup callback number; determining to interrupt theaudio recording; and connecting the originating call device and thedestination call device.

A device as recited above further configured to perform operationscomprising: generating the text translations from the audio recording.

A device for interrupting an originating call device that is recordingan audio message to be used as voicemail for a destination call device,the device comprising: at least one processor; and one or morecomputer-readable storage memory devices comprising processor executableinstructions which, responsive to execution by the at least oneprocessor, are configured to enable the device to perform operationscomprising: sending the destination call device an Short MessagingService (SMS) text message comprising a pickup voicemail callbacknumber; receiving an incoming call from the destination call devicedirected to the pickup voicemail callback number; determining whether anumber associated with the incoming call is in a pool of numbersassociated with voicemail services; responsive to determining the numberis in the pool of numbers, determining whether an association existsbetween the number and the destination call device; responsive todetermining an association exists, retrieving data for the number andthe associated audio message being recorded by the originating calldevice; updating the data with information associated with thedestination call device; and connecting the destination call device andthe originating call device, the connecting comprising interrupting theaudio message before the originating call device terminates anassociated connection.

A device as recited above, wherein determining whether an associationexists comprises analyzing metadata.

A device as recited above further configured to perform operationscomprising: sending the destination call device one or more texttranslations via one or more additional SMS text messages in real-timerelative to the audio message being recorded.

A device as recited above, wherein sending the one or more texttranslations in real-time relative to the audio message being recordedfurther comprises: receiving a first portion of the audio message;translating the first portion of the audio message into a textualrepresentation; and sending the textual representation of the firstportion to the destination call device before receiving a second portionof the audio message.

A device as recited above, wherein the second portion of the audiomessage is actively being recorded while the first portion is beingtranslated.

A device as recited above, wherein sending the textual representation ofthe first portion further comprises sending the textual representationof the first portion using an SMS text message.

A device as recited above, wherein the SMS text message is encoded witha tag indicating it is associated with voicemail transcription.

A computer-implemented method for interrupting an active audio recordingbeing left in voicemail by an originating call device and transferringthe connection to a destination call device, the method comprising:determining whether a connection associated with the originating calldevice initiating a call to the destination call device is connected tovoicemail leaving the active audio recording; sending the destinationcall device one or more text translations in real-time relative to theactive audio recording; receiving an incoming call from the destinationcall device; determining whether the incoming call is associated withvoicemail services; and responsive to determining the incoming call isassociated with voicemail services, connecting the destination calldevice and the originating call device, the connecting comprisinginterrupting the active audio recording before the originating calldevice terminates an associated connection.

A computer-implemented method as recited above, wherein sending thedestination call device one or more text translations further comprisessending the one or more text translations over Short Message Service(SMS) text messages.

A computer-implemented method as recited above, wherein each SMS textmessage of SMS text messages is encoded with a tag configured toindicate the respective SMS text message is associated with a voicemailservice.

A computer-implemented method as recited above, wherein the destinationcall device comprises a wireless mobile device.

A computer-implemented method as recited above, wherein receiving theincoming call further comprises receiving the incoming call on aconnection associated with a pickup voicemail callback number assignedto the destination call device by the computer.

A computer-implemented method as recited above, wherein determiningwhether a connection associated with the originating call deviceinitiating a call to the destination call device is connected tovoicemail further comprises at least: querying a call state associatedwith the originating call device; or querying a call state associatedwith the destination call device.

CONCLUSION

Various embodiments provide real-time translation of a voicemail into areadable format as the voicemail is being recorded. In some cases, asystem server records the voicemail by first answering a call from anoriginating device that goes unanswered by a destination device. Uponanswering the call, the system server translates the recording, while itis being recorded, into a readable format. Alternately or additionally,the system server forwards portions of the readable format to thedestination device. In turn, as the destination device receivesportion(s) of the real-time translation, it can display the associatedcontent, and/or update what is displayed as new portions are received.At times, the destination device provides additional call control thatinterrupts the voicemail while it is being recorded at the systemserver, and redirects the call to the destination device if theoriginating device is still connected.

Although the embodiments have been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the various embodiments defined in the appended claims are notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms ofimplementing the various embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device for communicating text translations ofan audio recording over a Short Message Service (SMS) connection, thedevice comprising: at least one processor; and one or morecomputer-readable storage memory devices comprising processor executableinstructions which, responsive to execution by the at least oneprocessor, are configured to enable the device to perform operationscomprising: determining whether a connection associated with anoriginating call device initiating a call to a destination call deviceis connected to voicemail; determining to communicate the texttranslations associated with the audio recording, being left invoicemail via the originating call device, to the destination calldevice via SMS text messaging; selecting a pickup voicemail callbacknumber from a pool of numbers; creating an association between thepickup voicemail callback number and the destination call device;sending the destination call device a first SMS text message indicatinga start to the text translations, the first SMS text message comprisingthe pickup voicemail callback number; and sending the destination calldevice one or more additional text translations via one or moreadditional SMS text messages in real-time relative to the audiorecording, each SMS text message of the one or more additional SMS textmessages comprising at least one text translation of the texttranslations.
 2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first SMStext message includes a message type configured to indicate a start ofcall.
 3. The device as recited in claim 1 further configured to performoperations comprising: sending a final SMS text message that includes amessage type configured to indicate a call ended when the audiorecording has completed.
 4. The device as recited in claim 1 furtherconfigured to perform operations comprising: creating the associationbetween the pickup callback number and the destination call device bycreating metadata that includes the pickup callback number andinformation associated with the destination call device.
 5. The deviceas recited in claim 4, wherein the metadata further comprisesinformation associated with the originating call device.
 6. The deviceas recited in claim 1 further configured to perform operationscomprising: receiving, from the destination device, an incoming calldirected to the pickup callback number; determining to interrupt theaudio recording; and connecting the originating call device and thedestination call device.
 7. The device as recited in claim 1 furtherconfigured to perform operations comprising: generating the texttranslations from the audio recording.
 8. A device for interrupting anoriginating call device that is recording an audio message to be used asvoicemail for a destination call device, the device comprising: at leastone processor; and one or more computer-readable storage memory devicescomprising processor executable instructions which, responsive toexecution by the at least one processor, are configured to enable thedevice to perform operations comprising: sending the destination calldevice an Short Messaging Service (SMS) text message comprising a pickupvoicemail callback number; receiving an incoming call from thedestination call device directed to the pickup voicemail callbacknumber; determining whether a number associated with the incoming callis in a pool of numbers associated with voicemail services; responsiveto determining the number is in the pool of numbers, determining whetheran association exists between the number and the destination calldevice; responsive to determining an association exists, retrieving datafor the number and the associated audio message being recorded by theoriginating call device; updating the data with information associatedwith the destination call device; and connecting the destination calldevice and the originating call device, the connecting comprisinginterrupting the audio message before the originating call deviceterminates an associated connection.
 9. The device as recited in claim8, wherein determining whether an association exists comprises analyzingmetadata.
 10. The device as recited in claim 8 further configured toperform operations comprising: sending the destination call device oneor more text translations via one or more additional SMS text messagesin real-time relative to the audio message being recorded.
 11. Thedevice as recited in claim 8, wherein sending the one or more texttranslations in real-time relative to the audio message being recordedfurther comprises: receiving a first portion of the audio message;translating the first portion of the audio message into a textualrepresentation; and sending the textual representation of the firstportion to the destination call device before receiving a second portionof the audio message.
 12. The device as recited in claim 11, wherein thesecond portion of the audio message is actively being recorded while thefirst portion is being translated.
 13. The device as recited in claim11, wherein sending the textual representation of the first portionfurther comprises sending the textual representation of the firstportion using an SMS text message.
 14. The device as recited in claim13, wherein the SMS text message is encoded with a tag indicating it isassociated with voicemail transcription.
 15. A computer-implementedmethod for interrupting an active audio recording being left invoicemail by an originating call device and transferring the connectionto a destination call device, the method comprising: determining whethera connection associated with the originating call device initiating acall to the destination call device is connected to voicemail leavingthe active audio recording; responsive to determining the originatingcall device is leaving the active audio recording, determining how tocommunicate text translations associated with the active audio recordingto the destination call device; sending the destination call device oneor more text translations in real-time relative to the active audiorecording; receiving an incoming call from the destination call device;determining whether the incoming call is associated with voicemailservices; and responsive to determining the incoming call is associatedwith voicemail services, connecting the destination call device and theoriginating call device, the connecting comprising interrupting theactive audio recording before the originating call device terminates anassociated connection.
 16. The computer-implemented method as recited inclaim 15, wherein sending the destination call device one or more texttranslations further comprises sending the one or more text translationsover Short Message Service (SMS) text messages.
 17. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 16, wherein each SMStext message of SMS text messages is encoded with a tag configured toindicate the respective SMS text message is associated with a voicemailservice.
 18. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15,wherein the destination call device comprises a wireless mobile device.19. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, whereinreceiving the incoming call further comprises receiving the incomingcall on a connection associated with a pickup voicemail callback numberassigned to the destination call device by the computer.
 20. Thecomputer-implemented method as recited in claim 15, wherein determiningwhether a connection associated with the originating call deviceinitiating a call to the destination call device is connected tovoicemail further comprises at least: querying a call state associatedwith the originating call device; or querying a call state associatedwith the destination call device.